Is Aspire Middle School a good school?

Aspire Middle School ranks 71 st of 535 Washington middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Aspire Middle School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 301 students attended Aspire Middle School.

What is the racial makeup of Aspire Middle School?

Students at Aspire Middle School are 52% White, 18% Hispanic, 18% Two or more races, 6% Asian, 5% African American.

Aspire Middle School

Summary:

Aspire Middle School is a public magnet middle school located in Lacey, Washington, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 301 students. This high-performing school consistently outshines the surrounding North Thurston Public Schools district and the state of Washington in academic achievement, earning a strong statewide ranking and recognition for its support of diverse student subgroups.

Aspire Middle School's academic excellence is evident in its standardized test scores, which far exceed the district and state averages. In the 2023-2024 school year, 66.67% of Aspire students were proficient or better in SBAC/English Language Arts, compared to 50.97% for the district and 52.63% for the state. The school's statewide ranking of 71 out of 535 middle schools in Washington, earning a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger, further underscores its exceptional performance. Aspire's commitment to equity is also noteworthy, as the school has achieved remarkable success in supporting the academic growth of Hispanic and special education students, ranking 27th and 50th in the state, respectively, for these subgroups.

When compared to nearby middle schools, such as Salish Middle School and Nisqually Middle School in the North Thurston Public Schools district, Aspire Middle School stands out as a top-performing institution. Its diverse student population, which more closely reflects the state's demographics, and its consistent academic excellence make it a standout choice for families in the Lacey area.

Detail:

Public, Magnet 6-8

5900 54th Ave SE
Lacey, WA 98513

(360) 412-4400

District: North Thurston Public Schools

SchoolDigger Rank:
71^st of 535 Washington Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $14,118

Student/teacher ratio: 20.4

Number of students: 301

Racial breakdown:

White:

52.2%

Hispanic:

18.3%

Two or more races:

17.6%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 28.2%

See top rated Washington middle schools

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Aspire Middle School ranks better than 86.7% of middle schools in Washington. It also ranks first among 5 ranked middle schools in the North Thurston Public Schools District! (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 85.32. (See more...)

Student Body

Compare Details Aspire Middle School has the smallest middle school student body size in the North Thurston Public Schools District. Student population at Aspire Middle School is diverse. Racial makeup is: White (52.2%), Hispanic (18.3%), two or more races (17.6%). (See more...)

Compare Details 28.2% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the lowest percentage in the North Thurston Public Schools District. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Aspire Middle School is 20.4, which is the highest among 5 middle schools in the North Thurston Public Schools District! (See more...)

Compare Aspire Middle School employs 14.7 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Aspire Middle School is $14,118, which is the lowest among 5 middle schools in the North Thurston Public Schools District!

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Aspire Middle School:

SchoolDigger ranks Aspire Middle School 71^st of 535 Washington public middle schools. (See Aspire Middle School in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Multi-racial students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Military Connected students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

North Thurston Public Schools:

SchoolDigger ranks North Thurston Public Schools 118^th of 247 Washington school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Aspire Middle School

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Rank History for all students at Aspire Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	WA State Percentile
2011	95.40	10^th	492	98.0%
2012	93.99	10^th	497	98.0%
2013	91.44	21^st	498	95.8%
2016	95.47	8^th	443	98.2%
2017	88.40	38^th	435	91.3%
2018	90.00	41^st	437	90.6%
2019	87.73	51^st	512	90.0%
2021	78.57	101^st	529	80.9%
2022	80.94	90^th	541	83.4%
2023	86.62	63^rd	539	88.3%
2024	85.32	71^st	535	86.7%

See the entire list of Washington Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Aspire Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	WA State Percentile
2019	70.51	64^th	246	74.0%
2021	55.62	96^th	250	61.6%
2022	54.31	106^th	257	58.8%
2023	65.44	73^rd	244	70.1%
2024	72.15	58^th	243	76.1%

See the entire list of Best Washington Middle Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Aspire Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	WA State Percentile
2021	68.44	36^th	210	82.9%
2023	97.94	1^st	167	99.4%
2024	63.09	50^th	179	72.1%

See the entire list of Best Washington Middle Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Aspire Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	91.65	20^th	349	94.3%
2019	95.50	5^th	448	98.9%
2021	72.53	60^th	458	86.9%
2022	72.86	73^rd	475	84.6%
2023	87.85	21^st	463	95.5%
2024	81.22	52^nd	455	88.6%

See the entire list of Best Washington Middle Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Aspire Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	81.80	66^th	376	82.4%
2019	84.59	54^th	452	88.1%
2021	79.85	85^th	469	81.9%
2022	75.79	101^st	479	78.9%
2023	86.90	51^st	464	89.0%
2024	85.07	61^st	464	86.9%

See the entire list of Best Washington Middle Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Military Connected students at Aspire Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	WA State Percentile
2019	59.26	20^th	50	60.0%
2021	85.51	2^nd	44	95.5%
2022	74.46	9^th	51	82.4%
2023	69.46	9^th	40	77.5%
2024	55.17	20^th	46	56.5%

See the entire list of Best Washington Middle Schools for Military Connected Students!

Rank History for Male students at Aspire Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	95.38	13^th	371	96.5%
2019	87.14	51^st	453	88.7%
2021	73.94	101^st	476	78.8%
2022	83.27	67^th	480	86.0%
2023	83.11	70^th	470	85.1%
2024	83.82	64^th	466	86.3%

See the entire list of Best Washington Middle Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Aspire Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	86.74	27^th	259	89.6%
2019	94.67	8^th	344	97.7%
2021	88.26	26^th	353	92.6%
2022	80.65	40^th	360	88.9%
2023	95.56	10^th	336	97.0%
2024	87.25	27^th	344	92.2%

See the entire list of Best Washington Middle Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Aspire Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	83.15	46^th	325	85.8%
2019	84.90	55^th	470	88.3%
2021	74.81	99^th	480	79.4%
2022	80.40	78^th	488	84.0%
2023	79.81	78^th	488	84.0%
2024	86.21	51^st	486	89.5%

See the entire list of Best Washington Middle Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Washington Office of Superindentent of Public Instruction, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction

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Enrollment information for Aspire Middle School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
2010	212	25	25	16	8	n/a	n/a	3	289
2011	209	17	24	27	5	0	21	0	303
2012	185	6	24	31	4	0	33	0	283
2013	194	7	29	37	2	0	28	0	297
2014	184	8	29	39	3	1	36	0	300
2015	199	9	24	29	1	0	42	0	304
2016	192	8	26	29	1	0	52	0	308
2017	200	8	20	37	0	5	53	0	323
2018	184	7	17	45	0	3	47	0	303
2019	173	4	14	52	0	4	41	0	288
2020	176	6	20	49	1	2	43	0	297
2021	169	8	22	53	1	3	50	0	306
2022	172	12	18	57	2	0	43	2	306
2023	157	15	18	55	1	2	53	0	301

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Aspire Middle School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2010	289	14.8	19.5	19.9
2011	303	14.3	21.0	12.2
2012	283	13.5	20.8	27.2
2013	297	13.4	22.1	35.7
2014	300	n/a	n/a	30
2015	304	14.0	21.7	31.6
2016	308	14.0	22.0	28.6
2017	323	14.7	21.8	28.8
2018	303	14.1	21.4	25.1
2019	288	13.9	20.7	30.9
2020	297	14.3	20.7	26.3
2021	306	14.8	20.6	26.1
2022	306	14.8	20.6	29.4
2023	301	14.7	20.4	28.2

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Aspire Middle School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2010	289	14.8	19.5	19.9
2011	303	14.3	21.0	12.2
2012	283	13.5	20.8	27.2
2013	297	13.4	22.1	35.7
2014	300	n/a	n/a	30
2015	304	14.0	21.7	31.6
2016	308	14.0	22.0	28.6
2017	323	14.7	21.8	28.8
2018	303	14.1	21.4	25.1
2019	288	13.9	20.7	30.9
2020	297	14.3	20.7	26.3
2021	306	14.8	20.6	26.1
2022	306	14.8	20.6	29.4
2023	301	14.7	20.4	28.2

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

6th Grade Immunization Rates